WE THE PEOPLE
Preserving Madison’s Temple
An Architectural Statement Reflecting the Political Complexities of an Evolving Nation
Thanks to a $500,000 leadership
gift from Forrest Mars, Jr.,
Montpelier is nearing completion
on the first phase of restoration of
the iconic Madison Temple.
Originally built around 1810
by Thomas Jefferson’s master
carpenter, James Dinsmore, likely
with the help of fellow craftsman
John Neilson, the Temple is an
architectural symbol of Madison’s
republican ideals. Dinsmore and
Neilson came to Montpelier to
work on the major renovation of
the house, which unified it from
two discrete conjoined houses
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into the much larger building we
see today.
The Temple was built on the
site of Madison Sr.’s 18thcentury blacksmith shop to take
advantage of the nearby ice pond
and pleasant summer breezes.
It demonstrates the shift from
a utilitarian to symbolic landscape
that James Madison oversaw
during his retirement.
The pit for the ice house below
the Temple was dug using
plantation slave labor and lined
with bricks made on site.
Timbers for the dome, ceiling
and wooden floor were most
likely felled from trees on the
plantation and could have been
milled at Madison’s sash saw
water-powered lumber mill.
The masonry features, including
the solid brick columns and
brick-lined ice house, were
most likely created by Hugh
Chisholm. Another one of
Jefferson’s craftsmen, Chisholm
was a mason and plasterer
who worked at Monticello,
and on the 1809-1812
renovations of Montpelier.